Aquaponics?

[G13MWJ]

So basically I've been researching Aquaponics for a few months. Wondering if anyone has any experience with doing this before?

 

[Seamaiden]

Doin' it right now. :D

 

[mauiinfinity]

Yup

 

[G13MWJ]

How are you guys liking the process? is it everything I read it will be? I love the idea and think it would do quite well in my geographical location. I was hoping to do it indoors. Any advice? I have a 55 gallon fish tank that I was planning on starting out with

 

[Seamaiden]

I am LOVING IT. Mainly because I get to have fish, even if I don't get to see them often, but you wanna get me geeking out HARD on something, present me with fish. What do you want to know, specifically? You will, of course, have to account for lighting if you're going inside, but it's not like that's never been done before, yeah?

If you're on Facebook there are many really good groups dedicated to AP, and more than a few have others who are doing cannabis in AP. There are a few tweaks for cannabis that most AP folks don't like to use, I'm using them because we have volume on our side, I have extensive aquatic experience and I know a little bit about organic farming on top of that, so I'm using things like Sea-90, MicroHume, dry MaxiCrop (instead of liquid extract), bone and blood meal, rock dusts and so on, INSTEAD of relying solely on the fish and what they're being fed to provide nutrients.

There's actually a LOT to say about the whole process... where do I start? Here, let's start with a video I made when we first set the system up. It's still going strong, we had a fish kill in July when temps were very hot and we disturbed an anaerobic area (victims of our own success, as it were) when a tomato plant grew so hard that it clogged the circulation through one of the beds.

Yesterday I harvested about 3lbs of mint, which I deleafed and smashed into a jar then covered with grain alcohol for my own organic mint extract while the hubster @pinegrovedave harvested about HALF the basil and made I don't know how many pints of pesto. Salad greens, kale, pickling cucumbers (I went for relish this time, the basement's filled with Dave's pickles that are years old, we eat a lot more relish, with relish, than pickles, so...!), grapefruit-sized cantaloupes that are SO incredibly sweet, oh my God. What else? Rainbow chard is TAKING OFF. The peppers didn't do well, I feel it's because I probably didn't have enough Ca in the system.

Well, fuckity, I've gotten to rambling and forgot to put up the vids. The first video is an overview of the system as it was during filming. We've added onto the system four more split barrels that I'm using for some cannabis, but I started them *very* late so they're all about a foot high and trying to flower (I experiment with something every year I think... nope, yep, every year). Second video I made with our GoPro and put to music. Ok, I'm putting up three videos. The first one, an update from June and then the music video.

 

[Seamaiden]

Another music video! :D

 

[mauiinfinity]

@Seamaiden very sweet set up! everything looks so happy! its such a symbiosis the fish and plants and you have huh! @G13MWJ 55gallon is what i used when i did my run at aquaponics. I am assuming you are wanting to grow some ganja with aqua ponics
right?

 

[G13MWJ]

@Seamaiden very sweet set up! everything looks so happy! its such a symbiosis the fish and plants and you have huh! @G13MWJ 55gallon is what i used when i did my run at aquaponics. I am assuming you are wanting to grow some ganja with aqua ponics
right?

Yes I am wanting to grow ganja and I have a 55 gallon tank but that's all I have so far. I've only ever grown outdoors but I want to take things indoor year round.

 

[mauiinfinity]

Well first you have to decide what type of fish you want to go with. Then build your system and get it going. It takes about a month for your water to change amonia to nitrates high enough to feed your plants.you will also need to start an aero cloner and get some good health rooted clones ready. I used 25 gallon totes and built a 2x4 frame that they sat on right above the 55 gallon tank that way it drained right back in. One thing I will say is make sure your tank and totes are covered from light or you will get algae blooms.

 

[mauiinfinity]

here is my thread I started a while back https://www.thcfarmer.com/community/threads/ok-so-i-took-a-run-at-aquaponics.69969/

 

[We Solidarity]

@Seamaiden what did y'all use to cut those 55s in half so nicely? I've never been able to make a clean job of it.

 

[Seamaiden]

That's a question for @pinegrovedave

I can't remember if he used a jigsaw or a circular saw.

 

[pinegrovedave]

@Seamaiden what did y'all use to cut those 55s in half so nicely? I've never been able to make a clean job of it.

I used a jigsaw.

 

[We Solidarity]

that would do it, I need one of those. I could imagine it's actually sort of funny watching a stoner try to saw a 55 gal in half with a sawzall :p

 

[lemons]

So... Did the bass ever smash the sun fish?

I've made a couple real simple ones. First experiment, I used one of those tiny bug terrariums that have the slotted lids. I flipped the lid over, filled it up with hydroton and sprink basil seeds through out. I ran a hose from a small air pump into the mouth piece of a bowl. The bowl end sat about an inch higher with another hose going from the toke hole to tray making a ghetto drip. It grew decently by a window.


The second was a 3gal tank. I painted everything except the front with chalkboard paint to help with algae and allow note taking. I used a piece of styroam with holes cut into it and placed two half gal pots with hydroton directly into the tank with lettuce in them. This worked exceptionally well. Every time I added a fish, the plants got a little greener noticeable within a handful of hours so I just added fish til it reached the desired color.

I urge you to try it, it's a he'll of a lot of fun. My goal is less cannabis oriented and more having a functional decoration. Pets exist to serve namsayin.